Thoughts from the interface of science, religion, law and culture

After spending several years touring the country as a stand up comedian, Ed Brayton tired of explaining his jokes to small groups of dazed illiterates and turned to writing as the most common outlet for the voices in his head. He has appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show and the Thom Hartmann Show, and is almost certain that he is the only person ever to make fun of Chuck Norris on C-SPAN.

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Beck: Nazis Will Control EU Country in Five Years

Glenn Beck continues to drive the crazy train down the tracks at breakneck speed, claiming on his show that within five years at least one country in Europe will be run by the Nazis. You know, like America is now that Obama gave access to health insurance to the poor, a clear step toward concentration camps.

I guess Beck thinks that he’ll look a little less crazy if he includes visual aides, but that never seems to work out for him. And a few things about that map:

1 – China was fighting Japan before the war even started.

2 – Was Alaska neutral or something?

3 – Why is Libya marked as a member of the Axis powers? If you’re going to include Italy’s colonies and earlier conquests, why not include Ethiopia and Somalia while you’re at it? Oh wait, I know why: Benghazi!!!!11!!1

Glenny is just constructing his retirement wish-list. Somewhere pleasantly authoritarian enough for him with all the fun, all the sun, all the seasons in the sun he can take – plus plenty of kiddies to murder, rape and eat.
Bek’s paradise!
Dingo

On #2, I suspect Alaska wasn’t colored in because it wasn’t ratified (is that the proper term?) as a state until 1959. It was still owned by the US, so I suspect it was somewhat biased. I seem to recall a very rich history of some special forces units made up of native Alaskans, but don’t recall the details. Any one else remember?

Well, not that I want to give Beck any credit, but fascists could be in charge of at least one country in Europe within five years: the current mood of the public opinion is red hot rage and vengeful urges at the elites because of the austerity fetichism and the upper-class in several countries is starting to speak more and more openly abot making a deal with far-right demagogues because they see them as their best bet at sabotaging a populist uprising.

The thing is that Beck will likely favour any “Nazi” government that comes to power. If say Hungary or Poland ended up with an extreme right government Beck would probably be quite happy with their attitudes on abortion, immigration, and other conservative hot buttons.

Hitler wanted Finland to allow his armies to use their border (well within striking distance of St. Petersburg, about 20-30 miles, IIRC) to attack Russia. Since he was already being allowed by the Swedes to use their country for staging, Finland’s resistance to german “suggestions” would have been pointless. As it was, Finland’s army, fighting on equal footing would have kicked Stalin’s armies’ asses (they did, initially). At the end of WWII, Finland, though it was damaged and had territory stolen from it by the russian gummint was still, free, unlike all of it’s baltic neighbors.

They co-operated with the nazis, not the same thing as being an axis power.

Two-thirds of Africa should also have been shown as Allied, along with the Phillipines, most of the Caribbean and parts of South America. And if France is shown, then so should Poland, Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands (even though their legitimate governments were in exile).

Somebody made a real bodge job of that graphic, but then I don’t suppose Beck would care to employ anyone with a sufficient grasp of history and geography to support him.

In this case, he’s right, but for the wrong reasons. Have you seen what’s happening in Greece these days?

Or Hungary.

There is a right wing government that has been encouraging antisemitism and pandering to xians. There have been attacks on Jews and Roma.

It’s the usual. Tribalism. Like Frank Sinatra said, “Everyone has to hate someone”. (He said love but groups like the fundie xians and Hungarian right wing have changed it.) There aren’t even that many Jews left in Hungary since most were gassed in the camps. It is something like 100,000.

There is a right wing government that has been encouraging antisemitism and pandering to xians. There have been attacks on Jews and Roma.

When I lived in Budapest, Roms were already a popular target. Now the “funny” thing was that I am of Roma descent on my mother side, so while I (and my parents) had to politely endure upper-class magyar douches explaining to us that Roms are genetically more lazy, more criminal, and less intelligent than “civilized” european people. Well, for the most part we avoided the nouveau-riche douches, so it remained bearable, but fuck them anyway.
And as far as antisemitism goes, fascist organizations were already starting to openly flew their muscle: both things are far from new.

Also, Hungary is politically a specific (as in: specific in its creepiness) case: Orban’s party won the elections in 1990, lost in 1994, won in 1998, nearly won in 2002, lost again in 2006, at which point his logic became pretty much “Every time I won the elections, my popularity plumeted and I lost the following election, so this time, I’ll make sure that I stay in charge even once I’ve become once again unpopular” so he cranked up the damagoguery to win enough seats to screw up the contry institutions in 2010.

There aren’t even that many Jews left in Hungary since most were gassed in the camps. It is something like 100,000.

Hungary has the second biggest jewish community in Europe after France. As I said, I lived there: a good third of my classmates in highschool were of jewish descent: when I went to Auschwitz, the list of hungarians victims literally like my class register.

Last year Beck was claiming that in 5 to 10 years Europe will be a Caiphate, controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood who will enforce sharia law. So I guess they will be Nazi Muslims. And he says this is all possible because Europe is becoming a socialist communist hell. So in the very near future we Europeans will be extreme right AND extreme left at the same time. We shall shake it all about and call this new continent The Hokey Cokey.

Beck is a very sick individual. In Europe people who are that unwell tend to receive help, and if they want to go on TV to embarrass themselves by speaking like an infant, someone will probably step in and say “no darling, not a good idea right now”.